Rechargeable battery

ABSTRACT

Provided is a rechargeable battery including an electrode assembly comprising an electrode assembly body and an electrode tab protruding from the electrode assembly body, and a connecting member comprising a guiding plate and a first connecting plate connected to the guiding plate. The guiding plate extends in a width direction and the first connecting plate extends away from a plate surface of the guiding plate along the width direction or extends toward the plate surface of the guiding plate along the width direction. The electrode tab has a stacked multi-layer structure, the electrode tab protrudes from a portion of an end surface of the electrode assembly body in a longitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the width direction, and the electrode tab is bent with respect to a longitudinal direction and is connected to the first connecting plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED INVENTIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/963,621, filed Apr. 26, 2018 and entitled “RECHARGEABLE BATTERY”,which claims priority to Chinese Patent Invention No. 201810039812.5,filed on Jan. 16, 2018, the content of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of batteries and,in particular, relates to a rechargeable battery.

BACKGROUND

With the development of science and technology, the requirements onrechargeable batteries keep rising. As an example, the lithium-ionbatteries, due to their high energy density, high power density, longcycle life and long storage time and the like, are widely used inportable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, digital cameras andlaptops and are also prospective in the application in the fields ofelectric vehicles, such as electric automobile, electric bicycles andothers, and other large and medium-sized electric equipment such asenergy storage facilities. Therefore, the lithium-ion batteries arebecoming an important technical solution to global problems such asenergy crisis and environmental pollution. The equipment usingrechargeable batteries has higher and higher demands on the energydensity and safety performance of the rechargeable batteries.

In the square rechargeable battery in the prior art, an electrode tab ofthe electrode assembly is connected to a connecting member. A firstconnecting plate of the connecting member connected to the electrode tabis generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the electrodeassembly. With the growing market demand of a large current battery, asufficient welding area between the first connecting plate and theelectrode tab should be ensured to meet the requirement against thetemperature rise where the current flows. Therefore, the firstconnecting plate must have a sufficient dimension in the longitudinaldirection of the electrode assembly, which will inevitably take up muchmore space, resulting in less space utilization of the electrodeassembly and low energy density.

SUMMARY

The object of the present disclosure is to provide a rechargeablebattery, aimed at improving the energy density of the rechargeablebattery.

The present disclosure provides a rechargeable battery including anelectrode assembly and a connecting member, wherein the electrodeassembly comprises an electrode assembly body and an electrode tabprotruding from the electrode assembly body, the electrode assembly bodyis formed by winding a positive electrode sheet, a negative electrodesheet, and a separator placed between the positive electrode sheet andthe negative electrode sheet, the connecting member comprises a guidingplate and a first connecting plate connected to the guiding plate,wherein the guiding plate extends in a width direction and the firstconnecting plate extends away from a plate surface of the guiding platealong the width direction or extends toward the plate surface of theguiding plate along the width direction, wherein the electrode tab has astacked multi-layer structure, the electrode tab protrudes from aportion of an end surface of the electrode assembly body in alongitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrode assemblybody perpendicular to the width direction, and the electrode tab is bentwith respect to a longitudinal direction and is connected to the firstconnecting plate.

In some embodiments, the electrode assembly comprises a positiveelectrode tab and a negative electrode tab, wherein the positiveelectrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude from the same sideof the split of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the widthdirection, respectively; or the positive electrode tab and the negativeelectrode tab protrude from different sides of the split of theelectrode assembly body perpendicular to the width direction,respectively.

In some embodiments, the electrode assembly body comprises a windingstart layer, the winding start layer is an end portion of an innermostelectrode sheet of the electrode assembly body from which winding isstarted, and the electrode tab protrudes from a portion of the endsurface of the electrode assembly body in the longitudinal direction ata side of a plane in which the winding start layer is located.

In some embodiments, the electrode assembly comprises a positiveelectrode tab and a negative electrode tab, wherein the positiveelectrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude from the same sideof the plane in which the winding start layer is located, respectively;or the positive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrudefrom different sides of the plane in which the winding start layer islocated, respectively.

In some embodiments, the connecting member comprises two firstconnecting plates which are connected to two edges of the guide plate inthe width direction, respectively, the rechargeable battery comprisestwo sets of electrode assemblies, the two sets of electrode assembliesare arranged side by side along the width direction and form two sets ofelectrode tabs of the same polarity at the same end of the rechargeablebattery, and the two sets of electrode tabs are respectively bent withrespect to the longitudinal direction and are connected to the two firstconnecting plates.

In some embodiments, an electrode tab of each electrode assembly in oneset of the two set of electrode assemblies protrudes from a portion ofan end surface of an electrode assembly body of the each electrodeassembly in the longitudinal direction at a side of a split of theelectrode assembly body perpendicular to the width direction away fromthe other set of the two sets of electrode assemblies, or an electrodetab of each electrode assembly in one set of the two set of electrodeassemblies protrudes from a portion of an end surface of an electrodeassembly body of the each electrode assembly in the longitudinaldirection at a side of a split of the electrode assembly bodyperpendicular to the width direction close to the other set of the twosets of electrode assemblies.

In some embodiments, each of the two sets of electrode assembliescomprises two electrode assemblies and an electrode tab of one electrodeassembly in one set of the two sets of electrode assemblies protrudesfrom a portion of an end surface of an electrode assembly body of theone electrode assembly in the longitudinal direction at a side of asplit of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the widthdirection close to the other electrode assembly in the one set.

In some embodiments, each of the two first connecting plates extendsaway from the plate surface of the guiding plate along the widthdirection or extends toward the plate surface of the guiding plate alongthe width direction.

In some embodiments, at least a part of the electrode tab is placedbetween the first connecting plate and the electrode assembly body.

In some embodiments, at least a part of the guiding plate protrudestoward the electrode assembly body with respect to the first connectingplate to form a convex portion, the convex portion abutting against theelectrode assembly body.

In some embodiments, the convex portion is laminated on the electrodeassembly body.

In some embodiments, the guiding plate comprises a main plate body and aflanging portion, the flanging portion is located at a lateral edge ofthe main plate body in the width direction and extends in a directionaway from the electrode assembly body, and the first connecting plate isconnected to the guiding plate by the flanging portion.

Based on the chargeable battery provided by the present disclosure, thefirst connecting plate extends away from a plate surface of the guidingplate along the width direction or extends toward the plate surface ofthe guiding plate along the width direction, effectively reducing thespace occupied by the connecting member at the end of the rechargeablebattery in the longitudinal direction. The electrode tab protrudes froma portion of an end surface of the electrode assembly body in alongitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrode assemblybody perpendicular to the width direction, effectively reducing thethickness of the electrode tab while allowing the electrode tab to havesufficient flow area, and further reducing the space occupied by theconnection between the connecting member and the electrode tab.Therefore, the space utilization of the rechargeable battery and theenergy density of the rechargeable battery are effectively improved.Further, since the thickness of electrode tab is reduced, the degree ofmisalignment between the multiple layers of the electrode tab caused bythe bending of the electrode tab is advantageously lowered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are used to facilitate the understandingof the present disclosure and constitute a part of the presentapplication. The exemplary embodiments and the description of thepresent disclosure are used to explain the present disclosure, but notintended to improperly limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofan rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofthe rechargeable battery shown in FIG. 1 after a housing of therechargeable battery is removed.

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged diagram of part A of the rechargeablebattery shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rechargeable batteryshown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 illustrates an enlarged diagram of part B in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a connecting memberof a rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure before a first connecting plate is bent with respect to aguiding plate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of the connectingmember in FIG. 6 after the first connecting plate is bent with respectto the guiding plate.

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an electrodeassembly of a rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the electrode assembly shown in FIG.8 .

FIG. 10 illustrates a bottom view of the electrode assembly shown inFIG. 8 .

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional schematic structural diagram of anelectrode assembly body formed by co-winding a positive electrode sheet,a negative electrode sheet, and a separator placed between the positiveelectrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet.

FIG. 12 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa rechargeable battery according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure after the housing is removed.

FIG. 13 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of a partof a bottom view of the rechargeable battery according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 12 .

FIG. 14 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa rechargeable battery according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure after the housing is removed.

FIG. 15 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of a partof a bottom view of the rechargeable battery according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 14 .

FIG. 16 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a connectingmember of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 14 before a first connecting plate is bent with respect to aguiding plate.

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of the connectingmember of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 14 after the first connecting plate is bent with respect to theguiding plate.

FIG. 18 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure after the housing is removed.

FIG. 19 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of a partof a bottom view of the rechargeable battery according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 18 .

FIG. 20 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a connectingmember of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 18 before a first connecting plate is bent with respect to aguiding plate.

FIG. 21 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of the connectingmember of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 18 after the first connecting plate is bent with respect to theguiding plate.

FIG. 22 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure after the housing is removed, wherein a first connectingmember is already connected to an electrode tab but not bent.

FIG. 23 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of a partof a bottom view of the rechargeable battery according to the embodimentshown in FIG. 22 .

FIG. 24 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa connecting member of a rechargeable battery according to an embodimentbefore a first connecting plate is bent with respect to a guiding plate.

FIG. 25 illustrates a bottom view of FIG. 24 .

FIG. 26 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part Cin FIG. 25 .

FIG. 27 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofthe connecting member of the rechargeable battery according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 24 after the first connecting plate is bentwith respect to the guiding plate.

FIG. 28 illustrates a bottom view of FIG. 27 .

FIG. 29 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part Din FIG. 28 .

FIG. 30 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa connecting member of a rechargeable battery according to an embodimentof the present disclosure before the first connecting plate is bent withrespect to the guiding plate.

FIG. 31 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part Ein FIG. 30 .

FIG. 32 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part Fin FIG. 30 .

FIG. 33 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofthe connecting member of the rechargeable battery according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 30 after the first connecting plate is bentwith respect to the guiding plate.

FIG. 34 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part GinFIG. 33 .

FIG. 35 illustrates an enlarged schematic structural diagram of part Iin FIG. 33 .

FIG. 36 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure after the housing is removed.

FIG. 37 illustrates a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram ofa connecting member of the rechargeable battery according to theembodiment shown in FIG. 36 before a first connecting plate is bent withrespect to a guiding plate.

FIG. 38 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of the connectingmember of the rechargeable battery according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 36 after the first connecting plate is bent with respect to theguiding plate.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure areclearly and completely described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings included in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The described embodiments are merely exemplary, rather thanall of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The followingdescription of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative,but not intended to limit the invention and its application or use. Allother embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on theembodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shallfall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

The relative arrangement, mathematical expressions and numerical valuesof the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limitthe scope of the invention, unless otherwise specified. In the meantime,it should be understood that, for simplifying the description, thedimensions of the parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according tothe actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices that are known tothose skilled in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but,where appropriate, the techniques, methods, and devices should beconsidered as part of the specification. In all of the examples shownand discussed herein, any specific value should be interpreted as merelyillustrative and not as a limitation. Therefore, other variations of theexemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted thatsimilar reference numbers and letters designate similar items in thefollowing drawings, and thus any item, which has been defined in thedescription of one figure, will not be further discussed in thedescription of the subsequent figures.

It should be understood that “first” and “second” and other terms in thedescription of the present disclosure are used to distinguish thecorresponding parts from one another. Unless otherwise specified, theterms have no special meaning, so that they cannot be interpreted aslimitation to the protection scope.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understoodthat the terms such as “front, back, up, down, left, right”,“transverse, vertical, horizontal” as well as “top and bottom” indicatethe orientational or positional relationships that are generally basedon the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings forease of description, and are merely intended to describe the presentdisclosure and simplify the describing. Unless indicated otherwise, itshould not be understood that the devices or elements described withthese terms must be disposed in specific orientations or position, andthus should not be construed as limitation to the protection scope ofthe present disclosure. The terms “inside” or “outside” refer to theinside or the outside with respect to the outline of respectivecomponent.

In the description of the present disclosure, the “longitudinaldirection” refers to the longitudinal direction of the rechargeablebattery and also the longitudinal direction of the electrode assembly100, corresponding to the direction X in FIG. 1 . The “width direction”refers to the width direction of the rechargeable battery, correspondingto the direction Y in FIG. 1 , and the “width direction” also refers tothe width direction of a connecting member and a guiding plate thereof.The “height direction” refers to a direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction and the width direction, corresponding to thedirection Z in FIG. 1 , the “height direction” is the height directionof the rechargeable battery and the electrode assembly and also theheight direction of the connecting member and the guiding plate thereof.

FIGS. 1-38 illustrate the structure of the rechargeable batteries andthe components thereof according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 38 , the rechargeable battery includes anelectrode assembly 100 and a connecting member 35. The electrodeassembly 100 includes an electrode assembly body 110 and an electrodetab 120 extending from the electrode assembly body 110. The electrodeassembly body 110 is formed by winding a positive electrode sheet, anegative electrode sheet, and a separator placed between the positiveelectrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet. The connecting member35 includes a guiding plate 353 and a first connecting plate 351connected to the guiding plate 353, the guiding plate 353 extends in thewidth direction, the first connecting plate 351 extends away from aplate surface of the guiding plate 353 along the width direction Y orextends toward the plate surface of the guiding plate 353 along thewidth direction Y. The electrode tab 120 has a stacked multi-layerstructure and protrudes from an end surface of the electrode assemblybody 110 in the longitudinal direction X (herein, the end surface isgenerally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction), and theelectrode tab 120 is bent with respect to the longitudinal direction andis connected with the first connecting plate 351.

On the basis of the rechargeable battery provided by the presentdisclosure, the first connecting plate 351 of the connecting member 35extends away from the plate surface of the guiding plate 353 along thewidth direction Y of the electrode assembly body 110, effectivelyreducing the space occupied by the connecting member 35 at an end of therechargeable battery in the longitudinal direction X. Further, theelectrode tab 120 of the electrode assembly 100 protrudes from a portionof an end surface of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinaldirection X at a side of a split of the electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y, and a thickness of the electrodetab 120 in the width direction Y can be effectively reduced while theelectrode tab 120 has a sufficient flow area. Therefore, the spaceoccupied by the connection between the connecting member 35 and theelectrode tab 120 is reduced, thereby effectively increasing the spaceutilization of the rechargeable battery and the energy density of therechargeable battery. Further, due to the reduced thickness of theelectrode tab, misalignment among the multiple layers of the electrodetab caused by the bending of the electrode tab 120 can be reduced.

Since the overall thickness of the electrode tab 120 is reduced, alength of the electrode tab 120 in the longitudinal direction X of theelectrode assembly 100 can be effectively reduced after the electrodetab 120 is connected to the first connecting plate 351, so that themovable space for the electrode tab 120 along the longitudinal directionX of the electrode assembly 100 is effectively reduced. When therechargeable battery is subjected to vibration or impact, the electrodetab 120 is difficult to be damaged, and the electrode tab 120 isunlikely to be inserted into the electrode assembly body 110 after beingpressed, thereby reducing the risk of internal short circuit of therechargeable battery, and improving the service life and safetyperformance of the electrode assembly 100.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated below withreference to FIGS. 1-38 .

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-10 , the rechargeable batteriesmainly include a housing 20, a top cover 30, an electrode assembly 100and a connecting member 35.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the connecting member 35 includes a guiding plate353, a first connecting plate 351 which is connected to a lateral edgeof the guiding plate 353 in the width direction Y, and a secondconnecting plate 352 which is connected to the guiding plate 353 and isused for electrically connecting to an device outside the rechargeablebattery, for example, a charger or an electric consuming device.

The housing 20 and the top cover 30 cooperatively form a mounting space,in which the electrode assembly 100 and the guiding plate 353 and thefirst connecting plates 351 of the connecting member 35 are located. Thesecond connecting plate 352 of the connecting member 35 is connected toan electrode component on the top cover 30. Specifically, a connectinghole is defined in the second connecting plate 352, and the secondconnecting plate 352 is connected to the electrode component through theconnecting hole.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrode component on the top cover 30includes a positive electrode component 31 for electrically connectingto a positive electrode of the electrode assembly 100 and a negativeelectrode component 34 for electrically connecting to a negativeelectrode of the electrode assembly 100. The top cover 30 is alsoprovided with an explosion-proof valve 32. Other structures such as aninjection hole may also be provided on the top cover 30.

The connecting member 35 of the rechargeable battery can be fixedlyconnected to the top cover 30 and the electrode component thereon, andthen connected to the electrode assembly 100. During the connecting ofthe connecting member 35 to the electrode assembly 100, the firstconnecting plate 351 is fixedly connected to the electrode tab 120 whileforming an specific angle with an end surface of the electrode assemblybody 110 after the guiding plate 353 is positioned with respect to theelectrode assembly body 110, and then the first connecting plate 351 isbent to an assembling position. At the same time, the electrode tab 120is bent with respect to the longitudinal direction X of the electrodeassembly body 110 with the bending of the first connecting plate 351.For example, in an embodiment, the first connecting plate 351 is bentuntil being parallel to the end surface of the electrode assembly body110. After the connecting member 35 and the electrode assembly 100 areassembled, the connecting member 35 and the electrode assembly 100 aretogether accommodated in the housing 20. After the connecting member 35and the electrode assembly 100 are assembled, the top cover 30 exactlycovers an opening of the housing 20, and then the top cover 30 and thehousing 20 are connected and sealed.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10 , the electrode assembly 100 includes theelectrode assembly body 110 and the electrode tab 120 extending from theelectrode assembly body 110.

The electrode assembly 100 is a square electrode assembly formed bywinding a positive electrode sheet, a separator, and a negativeelectrode sheet, after the positive electrode sheet, the separator andthe negative electrode sheet are stacked. The width direction of thepositive electrode sheet, separator and negative electrode sheet formsthe longitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly 100.

The positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet eachinclude a substrate and an active material coated on the substrate. Anarea coated with the active material on the substrate forms a coatedarea. The separator is used to separate the positive electrode sheetfrom the negative electrode sheet so as to prevent the short circuitinside the rechargeable battery. The substrate of the positive electrodesheet may be a first metal foil, for example, an aluminum foil. Thesubstrate of the negative electrode sheet may be a second metal foil,such as a copper foil. The electrode assembly 100 includes a positiveelectrode tab and a negative electrode tab. The positive electrode tabis formed by a portion uncoated with the active material on one sideedge of the first metal foil. The negative electrode tab is formed by aportion uncoated with the active material on one side edge of the secondmetal foil. Therefore, the tabs have a stacked multi-layer structure. Inthis embodiment, the positive electrode tab includes a plurality ofstacked first metal foils, and the negative electrode tab includes aplurality of stacked second metal foils.

In an embodiment, the positive electrode tab and the negative electrodetab are disposed at two ends of the electrode assembly 100 in thelongitudinal direction X, and protrude beyond the corresponding ends ofthe separator, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 8-10 , in the electrode assembly 100 according to thisembodiment, the electrode tab 120 protrudes from a portion of an endsurface of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinal directionX at a side of a split of the electrode assembly body 110 perpendicularto the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. 8 , the electrode tab 120protrudes from a rear portion of the end surface of the electrodeassembly body 110 in the longitudinal direction X, rather than from afront portion of the end surface of the electrode assembly body 110,with respect to the split of the electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y. Therefore, an empty space isformed in the width direction Y. This arrangement reduces a dimension ofthe electrode tab 120 in the longitudinal direction X of the electrodeassembly 100 after the first connecting plate 351 is bent with respectto the guiding plate 353, so that the first connecting plate 351 iscloser to the electrode assembly body 110 and an integral dimension ofthe connecting member 35 and the electrode assembly body 110 in thelongitudinal direction X is reduced, thereby increasing the energydensity of the rechargeable battery.

In the present embodiment, the electrode tab 120 includes a positiveelectrode tab and a negative electrode tab, the positive electrode taband negative electrode tab being arranged on two ends of the electrodeassembly body 110 in the longitudinal direction X, respectively.Specifically, the positive electrode tab and the negative electrode tabprotrude from the same side of the split of the electrode assembly body110 perpendicular to the width direction Y. For example, the positiveelectrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude from two oppositeportions of the two end surfaces of the electrode assembly body 110 inthe longitudinal direction at the same side of the split of theelectrode assembly body 110 perpendicular to the width direction Y,respectively. In this case, the two ends of the electrode assembly 100have similar mechanical property.

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of anelectrode assembly body formed by winding a positive electrode sheet, anegative electrode sheet, and a separator placed between the positiveelectrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet. The separatorseparates the positive electrode sheet from the negative electrodesheet. The electrode assembly body 110 of the electrode assembly 100includes a winding start layer 102. The winding start layer 102 is aportion of an innermost electrode sheet of the electrode assembly body110 from which the winding is started. In some embodiments, theelectrode tab 120 protrudes from a portion of an end surface of theelectrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinal direction X at a side ofa plane in which the winding start layer 102 is located. Further, thepositive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab of the sameelectrode assembly body 110 protrude from the same side of the plane inwhich the winding start layer 102 is located. For example, the positiveelectrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude from two oppositeportions of the two end surfaces of the electrode assembly body 110 inthe longitudinal direction at the same side of the plane in which thewinding start layer 102 is located.

In some embodiments not shown, the positive electrode tab and thenegative electrode tab protrude from different sides of the split of theelectrode assembly body 110 perpendicular to the width direction Y orfrom different sides of the plane in which the winding start layer 102is located. That is, the positive electrode tab and the negativeelectrode tab protrude from two non-opposite portions of the two endsurfaces of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinaldirection X at the two different sides of the split of the electrodeassembly body 110 perpendicular to the width direction Y, respectively.For example, the positive electrode tab extends from a rear portion ofone end surface of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinaldirection X at a side of the split of the electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y, and the negative electrode tabextends from a front portion of the other end surface in thelongitudinal direction X at the other side of the split of the electrodeassembly body 110 perpendicular to the width direction Y. Uponsimulation tests, it have been proven that, the current density in thecase of the positive and negative electrode tabs protrude from differentsides of the split of the electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular tothe width direction Y or from different sides of the plane in which thewinding start layer 102 is located is much evener than that in the caseof them extending from the same side of the split of the electrodeassembly body 110 perpendicular to the width direction Y or from thesame side of the plane in which the winding start layer 102 is located.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the electrode tabs 120 are provided at the sameside of the split of the electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular tothe width direction Y.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the electrode tab 120 is located on themiddle portion of the end surface of the electrode assembly body 110 inthe height direction Z. As shown in FIG. 9 , in the height direction Zof the electrode assembly 100, empty spaces 121 are formed above andbelow the electrode tab 120, respectively. This arrangement facilitatesbending of the electrode tab 120 so that the electrode tab 120 can bepositioned between the first connecting plates 351 and the electrodeassembly body 110.

The connecting member 35 is located at an end of the electrode assembly100 in the longitudinal direction X. In the present embodiment, each oftwo ends of the electrode assembly 100 in the longitudinal direction Xis provided with a connecting member 35. One of the connecting members35 is connected to the positive electrode tab of the electrode assembly100 and the other one is connected to the negative electrode tab of theelectrode assembly 100. The connecting member 35 connected to thepositive electrode tab of the electrode assembly 100 is connected to thepositive electrode component 31 on the top cover 30 and the connectingmember 35 connected to the negative electrode tab of the electrodeassembly 100 is connected to the negative electrode component 34 on thecover top 30. In this way, the electrode tab 120 can be electricallyconnected to the corresponding electrode component by the connectingmember 35.

In the present embodiment, the connecting members 35 disposed on the twoends of the electrode assembly 100 are connected to the electrode tabson two corresponding ends in a same manner. Thus, as an example, thefollowing description merely illustrates one connecting member 35disposed on one of the ends of the electrode assembly 100 in thelongitudinal direction X as well as the connection between thisconnecting member 35 and the electrode assembly 100.

As shown in FIGS. 2-7 , the connecting member 35 includes two firstconnecting plates 351 connected to two edges of the guiding plate 353 inthe width direction Y, respectively. The second connecting plate 352 islocated above the electrode assembly 100 and bent toward the electrodeassembly 100 with respect to the guiding plate 353. In this embodiment,the second connecting plate 352 is electrically connected to theelectrode component. In the embodiments which are not shown in thefigures, the second connecting plate may also serve as the electrodecomponent of the rechargeable battery, so that it is unnecessary toprovide additional electrode component.

In an embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-5 , the first connecting plates 351are located at sides of the guiding plate 353 away from a plate surfaceof the guiding plate 353 in the width direction and are parallel to theend surface of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinaldirection X of the electrode assembly 100, i.e., an end surfaceperpendicular to the longitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly100.

In a preferred embodiment, at least a part of the guiding plate 353protrudes toward the electrode assembly 100 with respect to the firstconnecting plates 351 and forms a convex portion, and the convex portionabuts against the electrode assembly 100.

Since at least a part of the guiding plate 353 protrudes toward theelectrode assembly 100 with respect to the first connecting plates 351to form the convex portion and the convex portion abuts against theelectrode assembly 100, the convex portion protruding towards theelectrode assembly 100 contacts the electrode assembly 100 and theconnecting member 35 bears force when the battery is vibrated orimpacted, so as to effectively alleviate the risk of rupture of theelectrode tab 120 caused by the vibration or impact. In the meantime,since the space for the movement of the electrode tab 120 is reduced,the possibility of the electrode tab penetrating into the electrodeassembly body 110 after being pressed is reduced, thereby reducing therisk of the short circuit inside the battery. Since the possibility ofthe electrode tab 120 being ruptured and the possibility of theelectrode tab being inserted into the electrode assembly body 110 bothare reduced, the service life and safety performance of the electrodeassembly 100 can be improved.

In a preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 3-4 , at least a part of theguiding plate 353 is laminated on the electrode assembly body 110. Insome embodiment, the guiding plate 353 is entirely laminated on the endsurface of the electrode assembly body 110. This arrangement can protectthe electrode tab 120 from being damaged and penetrating into theelectrode assembly body 110 when the rechargeable battery is vibrated orimpacted. Thus, the service life and safety performance of the electrodeassembly 100 are further improved.

In an embodiment, the connecting member 35 is made of an integral sheetmaterial. During assembling of the connecting member 35 with theelectrode assembly 100, after the guiding plate 353 is positioned withrespect to the electrode assembly body 110, the first connecting plates351 are fixedly connected to the electrode tab 120 while being parallelto the longitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly 100, and thenthe first connecting plates 351 are bent away from the guiding plate 353along the width direction Y while the electrode tab 120 is bent in thesame way, so as to finish the assembling of the connecting member 35with the electrode assembly 100.

In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, the firstconnecting plates 351 are fixedly connected to the electrode tab 120while forming an specific angle with the longitudinal direction X of theelectrode assembly 100 after the guiding plate 353 is positioned withrespect to the electrode assembly body 110, and then the firstconnecting plates 351 are bent toward the plate surface of the guidingplate 353 in the width direction, so as to finish the assembling of theconnecting member 35 with the electrode assembly 100.

In the above-mentioned assembling manners, the operating space is largeduring fixing the electrode tab 120 on the first connecting plate 351,so that the firm connection between the electrode tab 120 and the firstconnecting plate 110 is easily achieved, thereby ensuring the connectionquality thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 2-7 , in a preferred embodiment, the guiding plate 353includes a main plate body 3531 and two flanging portions 3532, i.e.,the above convex portion of the guiding plate 353 includes a main platebody 3531 and two flanging portions 3532. The flanging portions 3532 arelocated at lateral edges of the main plate body 3531 in the widthdirection Y and extend in a direction away from the electrode assembly100. The first connecting plates 351 are connected to the guiding plate353 by the flanging portions 3532.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-7 , the main plate body 3531 is aflat plate. The flanging portions 3532 are perpendicular to the mainplate body 3531. In some other embodiments which are not shown in thedrawings, the flanging portions 3532 tilt toward the plate surface ofthe main plate body 3531, or the flanging portions 3532 tilt away fromthe plate surface of the main plate body 3531.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5 and FIG. 7 , the first connecting plates 351 areparallel to the main plate body 3531. In this case, the first connectingplates 351 and the main plate body 3531 are all perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly 100.

In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, the firstconnecting plates 351 and the main plate body 3531 may form a certainangle. For example, a free end of the first connecting plate 351 in thewidth direction Y may be closer to the electrode assembly body 110 thana fixed end of the first connecting plate 351 in the width direction Y.

As shown in FIGS. 3-7 , in a preferred embodiment, a notch 35A is formedbetween each of the first connecting plates 351 and the guiding plate353 so that a weak position is formed at the notch 35A between the firstconnecting plate 351 and the guiding plate 353, so that a bendingposition of the first connecting plate 351 is more accurate when thefirst connecting plate 351 is bent with respect to the guiding plate353. It is beneficial for the successful assembling of the electrodeassembly 100 and the connecting member 351 with the housing 20. Thenotches 35A facilitate the bending of the first connecting plates 351,so as to reduce possible damage to the electrode assembly 100 and theelectrode tab 120 thereof caused by the bending.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5 , the connecting member 35 includes two firstconnecting plates 351 disposed on two sides of the guiding plate 353 inthe width direction, respectively. The rechargeable battery includes twoelectrode assemblies 100 arranged side by side. The electrode tabs ofsame polarity of the two electrode assemblies are connected to the twofirst connecting plates 351, respectively. In an embodiment, the twoelectrode assemblies 100 are symmetrically arranged.

In a preferred embodiment, the electrode tab 120 of each of the twoelectrode assemblies 100 extends from a side of the electrode assembly100 away from the other electrode assembly 100.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the electrode tab 120 is provided outsidethe guiding plate 353 in the width direction Y of the rechargeablebattery. The main plate body 3531 of the connecting member 35 islaminated on the electrode assembly body 110, i.e., laminated on the endsurface of the separator at the end of the electrode assembly 100 in thelongitudinal direction X. This arrangement allows the electrode tab 120to bear almost no function of fixing and positioning of the electrodeassembly 100 in the longitudinal direction X so that the electrode tab120 can be more effectively protected from damage.

In an embodiment, the first connecting plates 351 of the connectingmember 35 may be electrically connected to the electrode tab 120 of theelectrode assembly 100 by ultrasonic welding, laser welding, orresistance welding, and the fixed connection with certain strength canbe achieved at the same time. After connecting by welding, the firstconnecting plate 351 of the connecting member 35 is bent laterally sothat the internal space occupied by the connecting member 35 and theelectrode assembly 100 in the longitudinal direction X of the battery isreduced, thereby improving the energy density of the battery. The mainplate body 3531 of the connecting member 35 is pressed against theelectrode assembly 100 after being laminated on the end surface of theseparator of the electrode assembly 100 so as to support, fix, andposition the electrode assembly 100 along the longitudinal direction Xof the electrode assembly 100, thereby preventing the electrode assembly100 from shaking inside the housing 20 after the rechargeable battery isassembled.

In some embodiments, the electrode tab 120 of each of the two electrodeassemblies 100 extends from a side of a split of an electrode assemblybody 110 of the each electrode assembly 100 perpendicular to the widthdirection Y close to the other electrode assembly 100. Herein for clearunderstanding, the split is perpendicular to the width direction Y andand the side of the split is close to the other electrode assembly 100.That is, a portion of the electrode tab 120 connected to the electrodeassembly body 110 is located at a middle portion of an end surface ofthe rechargeable battery in the longitudinal direction X between a splitof one electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular to the width directionY and a split of the other electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular tothe width direction Y.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the rechargeable battery includeselectrode assemblies 100, connecting members 35, a housing (not shown),and a top cover 30. The electrode assembly 100 and the guiding plate 353and the first connecting plates 351 of the connecting member 35 arelocated in a mounting space formed by the housing and the top cover 30.The second connecting plate 352 of the connecting member 35 is connectedto the electrode component on the top cover 30. The top cover 30 has anexplosion-proof valve 32, a positive electrode component 31, a negativeelectrode component 34 and an injection hole. In FIGS. 12 and 13 , Wrepresents the welding position of the first connecting plate 351 andthe electrode tab 120.

The structure of the connecting member 35 and the structure of theelectrode assembly 100 in the present embodiment are the same as thosein the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-10 . However, in the presentembodiment, the position where the electrode tab 120 extends from theelectrode assembly body 110 is located at the middle portion of an endsurface of the rechargeable battery in the longitudinal direction Xbetween a split of one electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular to thewidth direction Y and a split of the other electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y. The main plate body 3511 of theguiding plate 351 abuts against a surface of the electrode tab 120.

In the present embodiment, the first connecting plate 351 is bent to beparallel to the end surface of the electrode assembly body 110,effectively reducing the space occupied by the connecting member 35 atthe end of the rechargeable battery in the longitudinal direction X. Theelectrode tab 120 extends from a portion of the end surface of theelectrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinal direction X at a side ofthe split of the electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular to the widthdirection Y, effectively reducing the thickness of the electrode tab120, and further reducing the space occupied by the connection betweenthe connecting member 35 and the electrode tab 120. Therefore, the spaceutilization of the rechargeable battery and the energy density of therechargeable battery are effectively improved, and the degree ofmisalignment between the multiple layers of the electrode tab 120 isalso lowered after the electrode tab 120 is bent. The portion of theelectrode tab 120 connected to the electrode assembly body 110 islocated between the guiding plate 353 and the electrode assembly body110. When the rechargeable battery is vibrated or impacted, the convexportion of the guiding plate 353, which protrudes toward the electrodeassembly 100 with respect to the first connecting plate 351, abutsagainst the electrode assembly 100. The force is mainly borne by theguiding plate 353 of the connecting member 35 so as to effectivelyalleviate tensile fracture of the electrode tab 120 caused by thevibration or impact on the electrode tab 120. In the meantime, themoveable space for the electrode tab 120 becomes smaller and thepossibility of the electrode tab penetrating into the electrode assemblybody 110 after being pressed is reduced, thereby reducing the risk ofthe short circuit inside the battery and increasing the service life andsafety performance of the electrode assembly 100.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13 , the tab 120 includes aclamped portion 1201 clamped and supported between the convex portion ofthe guiding plate 353 and the electrode assembly body 110, and theclamped portion 1201 is laminated on an end surface of the electrodeassembly body 110 in the longitudinal direction Y and extends away froma midline of the end surface of the electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y. Therefore, the convex portionand the electrode assembly 100 are fit to each other more closely so asto improve the space utilization and the energy density of therechargeable battery, thereby reducing the possibility of tensilerapture of the tab electrode caused by the vibration or impact on theelectrode tab 120 as well as the possibility of the electrode tabpenetrating into the electrode assembly body 110 after being pressed,and thus reducing the risk of a short circuit inside the rechargeablebattery.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the rechargeablebattery can further include back-up plates 310 fixedly connected to thefirst connecting plates 351 and the electrode tab 120, the electrode tab120 being sandwiched between the first connecting plate 351 and theback-up plate 310. The back-up plates 310 are provided to better fix theelectrode tab 120 and to maintain the relative positions betweenunwelded portions of the multiple layers of the electrode tab 120 whenand after the electrode tab 120 is bent.

In some embodiments, the first connecting plates 351 may be even with aplate surface of the guiding plate 353 after being bent.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14-17 , the rechargeable batteryincludes electrode assemblies 100, the connecting members 35, thehousing, and the top cover 30. The top cover 30 is provided with anexplosion-proof valve 32, an injection hole 33, a positive electrodecomponent 31 and a negative electrode component 34. W represents thewelding positions of the first connecting plates 351 and the electrodetab 120.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15 , the first connecting plates 351are bent laterally along the width direction of the guiding plate 353after being welded to the electrode tab 120, and are parallel to the endsurface of the electrode assembly body 110 and even with the platesurface of the guiding plate 353. In this embodiment, the electrode tab120 of each of the two electrode assemblies 100 extends from a side ofthe electrode assembly 100 close to the other electrode assembly 100.

In the embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, when the firstconnecting plates 351 are parallel to the end surface of the electrodeassembly body 110 and even with the plate surface of the guiding plate353, the electrode tab of each of the two electrode assemblies can alsoextend from a portion of an end surface of the electrode assembly body110 of one electrode assembly 100 in the longitudinal direction X at aside of a split of the one electrode assembly body 110 perpendicular tothe width direction Y away from the other electrode assembly 100.

As shown in FIGS. 16-17 , the connecting member 35 includes a guidingplate 353, two first connecting plates 351, which are connected to bothsides of the guiding plate 353 in the width direction, respectively, anda second connecting plate 352 connected to the top of the guiding plate353. The second connecting plate 352 is bent with respect to the firstconnecting plate 351. Before the first connecting plate 351 is bent withrespect to the guiding plate 353, the second connecting plate 352extends in a direction opposite to the extending direction of the firstconnecting plate 351.

The first connecting plate 351 is even with the plate surface of theguiding plate 353 after being bent with respect to the guiding plate353, effectively reducing the space occupied by the connecting member 35at the end of the electrode assembly 100 in the longitudinal directionX. The electrode tab 120 extends from a side of the electrode assemblybody 110 in the width direction Y, effectively reducing the thickness ofthe electrode tab 120, and further reducing the space occupied by theconnection between the connecting member 35 and the electrode tab 120.Therefore, the space utilization of the rechargeable battery and theenergy density of the rechargeable battery are effectively improved, andthe degree of misalignment between the multiple layers of the electrodetab 120 is also lowered after the electrode tab 120 is bent. Inaddition, the distance between the electrode tab 120 and the connectingmember 35 in the longitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly 100may be set smaller due to the reduction in the overall thickness of theelectrode tab 120, and the moveable space for the electrode tab 120 inthe longitudinal direction X of the electrode assembly 100 iseffectively reduced. When the rechargeable battery is vibrated orimpacted, the electrode tab 120 is not easily damaged, and thepossibility of the electrode tab 120 penetrating into the electrodeassembly body 110 after being pressed decreases, thereby reducing therisk of the short circuit inside the rechargeable battery and increasingthe service life and safety performance of the electrode assembly 100.

In some embodiments, the first connecting plate 351 may be located onthe inner side of the guiding plate 353 in the width direction. In thiscase, one end of the electrode tab 120 away from the electrode assemblybody 110 is preferably located at a side of the first connecting plate351 away from the electrode assembly body 110.

In an embodiment shown in FIGS. 18-21 , the rechargeable batteryincludes the electrode assemblies 100, the connecting members 35, thehousing and the top cover 30. The top cover 30 has an explosion-proofvalve 32, an injection hole 33, a positive electrode component 31 and anegative electrode component 34. W represents the welding positions ofthe first connecting plate 351 and the electrode tab 120.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19 , the first connecting plates351 are bent to the inner side of the guiding plate 353 in the widthdirection after being welded to the electrode tab 120, and are parallelto the end surface of the electrode assembly body 110. In thisembodiment, the electrode tab 120 of each of the two electrodeassemblies 100 extends from a side of the electrode assembly 100 awayfrom the other electrode assembly 100.

As shown in FIGS. 20-21 , in the present embodiment, the connectingmember 35 includes a guiding plate 353, two first connecting plates 351,which are connected to both sides of the guiding plate 353 in the widthdirection, respectively, and a second connecting plate 352 connected tothe top of the guiding plate 353. Before the first connecting plate 351is bent with respect to the guiding plate 353, the second connectingplate 352 extends in a direction opposite to the extending direction ofthe first connecting plate 351.

In the present embodiment, a notch is provided at the connection betweenthe first connecting plate 351 and the guiding plate 353. The firstconnecting plates 351 are located at the inner side of the guiding plate353 in the width direction after being bent, and the two firstconnecting plates 351 do not overlap one another in the width directionof the guiding plate 353.

The first connecting plate 351 is parallel to the guiding plate 351after being bent with respect to the guiding plate 353. Bending towardthe inner side of the guiding plate 353 can reduce the space occupied bythe connecting member 35 at the end of the rechargeable battery in thelongitudinal direction X. The electrode tab 120 extends from a portionof an end surface of the electrode assembly body 110 in the longitudinaldirection X at a side of the split of the electrode assembly body 110perpendicular to the width direction Y, effectively reducing thethickness of the electrode tab 120, and further reducing the spaceoccupied by the connection between the connecting member 35 and theelectrode tab 120. Therefore, the space utilization of the rechargeablebattery and the energy density of the rechargeable battery areeffectively improved. The distance between the electrode tab 120 and theconnecting member 35 in the longitudinal direction X of the electrodeassembly 100 may be set smaller due to the reduction in the overallthickness of the electrode tab 120, and the moveable space for theelectrode tab 120 in the longitudinal direction X of the electrodeassembly 100 is effectively reduced. When the rechargeable battery isvibrated or impacted, the electrode tab 120 is not easily damaged, andthe possibility of the electrode tab 120 penetrating into the electrodeassembly body 110 after being pressed decreases, thereby reducing therisk of the short circuit inside the battery and increasing the servicelife and safety performance of the electrode assembly 100. Compared withthe case that the first connecting plates 351 are bent to the outersides of the guiding plate 353 in the width direction, this arrangementis advantageous in that the minimum current flow width of the guidingplate 353 can be widened under a constant thickness of the rechargeablebattery so as to improve the fast charging capacity of the rechargeablebattery.

In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, the firstconnecting plates 351 are parallel to the guiding plate 353 after beingbent with respect to the guiding plate 353. When the first connectingplates 351 are bent to the inner side of the guiding plate 353, theelectrode tab 120 of each of the two electrode assemblies 100 can extendfrom the side of the electrode assembly 100 close to the other electrodeassembly 100.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 22-23 , the rechargeablebattery can further include back-up plates 310 fixedly connected to thefirst connecting plates 351 and the electrode tab 120, the electrode tab120 being sandwiched between the first connecting plate 351 and theback-up plate 310.

On the one hand, the back-up plates 310 can better fix the electrode tab120 and maintain the relative positions between unwelded portions of themultiple layers of the electrode tab 120 when and after the electrodetab 120 is bent; on the other hand, the back-up plates 310 also canreduce the direct impact on the portion of the electrode tab 120 weldedto the connecting member 35 after vibration and impact occur to therechargeable battery, so as to protect the electrode tab 120 and prolongthe service life of the rechargeable battery.

In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the first connecting plate351 may be less than the thickness of the guiding plate 353.

As shown in FIGS. 24-29 , the thickness of the first connecting plate351 of the connecting member 35 is set to be smaller than the thicknessof the guiding plate 353. Compared with the connecting member includingthe guiding plate having the same thickness as the first connectingplate, this connecting member 35 would occupy further less space of therechargeable battery after being bent, so that the energy density of therechargeable battery can be further increased. In the meantime, sincethe thickness of the first connecting plate 351 is reduced, the weldingassembling quality of the first connecting plate 351 and the electrodetab 120 of the rechargeable battery can be effectively improved.However, the thickness of the guiding plate 353 remains large, so thatthe resistance of the guiding plate may be reduced to allow the internalresistance of the rechargeable battery to meet the requirements, and therechargeable battery will not be heated rapidly during the charging anddischarging with a high rate current. In addition, the smaller thicknessof the first connecting plate 351 than the guiding plate 353 canfacilitates the bending of the first connecting plates 351, so as toensure the relative position of the connecting member 35 and theelectrode assembly 100 after the bending, thereby facilitating theassembling and reducing the risk of the electrode assembly body 110 orthe electrode tab 120 being damaged during the bending.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24-29 , the first connecting plates 351are bent toward the plate surface of the guiding plate 353 in the widthdirection. In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, inthe case of the thickness of the first connecting plate 351 being set tobe smaller than the thickness of the guiding plate 353, the firstconnecting plate 351 may be bent away from the plate surface of theguiding plate 353 in the width direction, until the plate surface of thefirst connecting plate 351 is even with the plate surface of the guidingplate 353, or until the guiding plate 353 protrudes toward the electrodeassembly body 110 with respect to the first connecting plate 351.

In a preferred embodiment, an end of the connecting portion between theguiding plate 353 and the first connecting plate 351 may further beprovided with an anti-cracking groove.

As shown in FIGS. 29-34 , a first groove 35B is provided at an upper endof a connecting portion between the guiding plate 353 and the firstconnecting plate 351 of the connecting member 35, and a second groove35C is provided at a lower end of the connecting portion. Theanti-cracking grooves can prevent the connecting member 35 from beingeasily broken at the end of the connecting portion during the bendingprocess, and effectively eliminate the end cracking problem of theconnecting member 35 during the bending process.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 30-35 , the first connecting plates 351are bent toward the inner side of the guiding plate 353 in the widthdirection. In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, inthe case that the ends of the connecting portion between the guidingplate 353 and the first connecting plate 351 are provided with theanti-cracking grooves, the first connecting plates 351 may be benttoward the outer sides of the guiding plate 353 in the width direction,until the plate surface of the first connecting plate 351 is even withthe plate surface of the guiding plate 353, or until the guiding plate353 protrudes toward the electrode assembly body 110 with respect to thefirst connecting plate 351.

In a preferred embodiment, the connecting member 35 includes two firstconnecting plates 351A and 351B, which are disposed on two sides of theguiding plate 353, respectively, and a second connecting plate 352disposed on the upper end of the guiding plate 353, wherein the top endsof the two first connecting plates 351A and 351B begin at differentheights.

As shown in FIGS. 36-38 , the connecting member 35 includes firstconnecting plates 351A and 351B which are located on both sides of theguiding plate 35, respectively, wherein a beginning height of the topend of the first connecting plate 351A at the top end of the guidingplate 353 is higher than a beginning height of the top end of the firstconnecting plate 351B. In FIG. 37 , H represents a height differencebetween the beginning height of the top end of the first connectingplate 351A and the beginning height of the top end of the firstconnecting plate 351B.

Due to the increasing demand for rapid charging of the rechargeablebattery, the connecting member 35 needs to have a large current flowarea. During charging or discharging, the current flowing through thefirst connecting plates 351A and 351B flows through a portion of theguiding plate 353 connected to the second connecting plate 352. Sincethe first connecting plates need to be bent, the width in the widthdirection Y of the portion where the guiding plate 353 is connected tothe first connecting plates is limited. Sometimes, the width is sonarrow that there may exist a necking in the current transmission pathof the connecting member 35 from the first connecting plate 351 throughthe guiding plate 353 to the second connecting plate 352. If the firstconnecting plates located on the two sides of the guiding plate 353 havetop ends of the same height, the size of the necking is equal to thewidth of the guiding plate 353 (or the main plate body of the guidingplate 353 in some embodiments). If the top ends of the first connectingplates begin at the different heights, the size of the necking is equalto a length of a connecting line connecting two end points, which are ashigh as the heights of the two first connecting plates, respectively, attwo ends of the guiding plate 353 (or the main plate body) in the widthdirection, thereby enlarging the flow area and improving the rapidcharging capacity and safety performance of rechargeable battery.

In a preferred embodiment, the guiding plate 353 and the secondconnecting plate 352 are integrally formed by bending a sheet material,and at least one protrusion 35D is formed at the bending positionbetween the guiding plate 353 and the second connecting plate 352.

As shown in FIGS. 37 and 38 , the guiding plate 353 and the secondconnecting plate 352 of the connecting member 35 are formed by bending,two protrusions 35D are formed at the bending position between theguiding plate 353 and the second connecting plate 352. The protrusions35D help to maintain the relative positions of the guiding plate 353 andthe second connecting plate 352 when the first connecting plates 351 arebent, so that the components connected to the connecting member 35, suchas the electrode assemblies 100, the top cover 30 and the housing 20 andso on are positioned accurately with respect to one another during theassembling of the rechargeable battery, thereby completing theassembling smoothly and improving the quality of rechargeable batteries.Moreover, when the rechargeable battery is subjected to impact orvibration, a deformation amount of the guiding plate 353 with respect tothe second connecting plate 352 is reduced, thereby protecting theelectrode tab 120. In this embodiment, the two protrusions 35D areevenly arranged along the bending position between the guiding plate 353and the second connecting plate 352.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the connection to the electrodecomponent is achieved by a welding-connecting portion 3521.

In some embodiments which are not shown in the drawings, the firstconnecting plate may be connected to two sets of electrode assemblies,i.e., the rechargeable battery may include two set of electrodeassemblies. For example, the connecting member may include two firstconnecting plates located on two sides thereof in the width direction,respectively, each of the first connecting plates being connected to oneset of electrode assemblies. The two sets of electrode assemblies arearranged side by side along the width direction and form two sets ofelectrode tabs of the same polarity at the same end of the rechargeablebattery, and the two sets of electrode tabs are respectively bent withrespect to the longitudinal direction and are connected to the two firstconnecting plates. Each set of electrode assemblies may include twoelectrode assemblies. An electrode tab of one electrode assembly in oneset of the two sets of electrode assemblies protrudes from a portion ofan end surface of an electrode assembly body of the one electrodeassembly in the longitudinal direction at a side of a split of theelectrode assembly body perpendicular to the width direction close tothe other electrode assembly in the one set. Herein for clearunderstanding, said portion of the end surface is at the side of thesplit of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the widthdirection and the side of the split is close to the other electrodeassembly in the one set. As another example, an electrode tab of eachelectrode assembly in one set of the two set of electrode assembliesprotrudes from a portion of an end surface of an electrode assembly bodyof the each electrode assembly in the longitudinal direction at a sideof a split of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the widthdirection away from the other set of the two sets of electrodeassemblies, or an electrode tab of each electrode assembly in one set ofthe two set of electrode assemblies protrudes from a portion of an endsurface of an electrode assembly body of the each electrode assembly inthe longitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrodeassembly body perpendicular to the width direction close to the otherset of the two sets of electrode assemblies.

In the above embodiments of the present disclosure, as long as thetechnical features do not conflict with one other, the related technicalcontents in other embodiments can be referred or combined.

It should be noted that the above embodiments of the present disclosureare merely used to illustrate the technical solutions of the presentdisclosure, but are not intended to limit the present disclosure.Despite of the detailed description of the present disclosure withreference to the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various modifications of the specificembodiments of the present disclosure and equivalent substitutions ofparts of the technical features are allowed without departing from thescope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure. Withoutdeparting from principles of the present disclosure, these modificationsand equivalent substitutions should be included in the protection scopeof the invention.

1. A rechargeable battery, comprising an electrode assembly and aconnecting member, wherein the electrode assembly comprises an electrodeassembly body and an electrode tab protruding from the electrodeassembly body, the electrode assembly body and the electrode tab arearranged in a longitudinal direction, and the longitudinal direction isperpendicular to a plane defined by a width direction and a heightdirection of the electrode assembly, the connecting member comprises aguiding plate and a first connecting plate connected to the guidingplate, wherein the guiding plate comprises a main plate body parallel toan end surface of the electrode assembly body and a flanging portion,the flanging portion is located at a lateral edge of the main plate bodyin the width direction and extends along the longitudinal direction andin a direction away from the electrode assembly body, and the firstconnecting plate is connected to the guiding plate by the flangingportion; and, wherein the electrode tab has a stacked multi-layerstructure, the electrode tab protrudes from a portion of the end surfaceof the electrode assembly body in the longitudinal direction is bentwith respect to the longitudinal direction and is connected to the firstconnecting plate, and the electrode assembly body comprises a windingstart layer, wherein the winding start layer is an end portion of aninnermost electrode sheet of the electrode assembly body from whichwinding is started, and the electrode tab protrudes from a portion ofthe end surface of the electrode assembly body in the longitudinaldirection at a side of a plane in which the winding start layer islocated.
 2. The rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein theelectrode assembly comprises a positive electrode tab and a negativeelectrode tab, wherein the positive electrode tab and the negativeelectrode tab protrude from the same side of the split of the electrodeassembly body perpendicular to the width direction, respectively; or thepositive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude fromdifferent sides of the split of the electrode assembly bodyperpendicular to the width direction, respectively.
 3. The rechargeablebattery according to claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly comprises apositive electrode tab and a negative electrode tab, wherein thepositive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab protrude from thesame side of the plane in which the winding start layer is located,respectively; or the positive electrode tab and the negative electrodetab protrude from different sides of the plane in which the windingstart layer is located, respectively.
 4. The rechargeable batteryaccording to claim 1, wherein the connecting member comprises two firstconnecting plates which are connected to two edges of the guide plate inthe width direction, respectively, the rechargeable battery comprisestwo sets of electrode assemblies, the two sets of electrode assembliesare arranged side by side along the width direction and form two sets ofelectrode tabs of the same polarity at the same end of the rechargeablebattery, and the two sets of electrode tabs are respectively bent withrespect to the longitudinal direction and are connected to the two firstconnecting plates.
 5. The rechargeable battery according to claim 4,wherein an electrode tab of each electrode assembly in one set of thetwo set of electrode assemblies protrudes from a portion of an endsurface of an electrode assembly body of the each electrode assembly inthe longitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrodeassembly body perpendicular to the width direction away from the otherset of the two sets of electrode assemblies, or an electrode tab of eachelectrode assembly in one set of the two set of electrode assembliesprotrudes from a portion of an end surface of an electrode assembly bodyof the each electrode assembly in the longitudinal direction at a sideof a split of the electrode assembly body perpendicular to the widthdirection close to the other set of the two sets of electrodeassemblies.
 6. The rechargeable battery according to claim 5, whereineach of the two sets of electrode assemblies comprises two electrodeassemblies and an electrode tab of one electrode assembly in one set ofthe two sets of electrode assemblies protrudes from a portion of an endsurface of an electrode assembly body of the one electrode assembly inthe longitudinal direction at a side of a split of the electrodeassembly body perpendicular to the width direction close to the otherelectrode assembly in the one set.
 7. The rechargeable battery accordingto claim 4, wherein each of the two first connecting plates extends awayfrom the plate surface of the guiding plate along the width direction orextends toward the plate surface of the guiding plate along the widthdirection.
 8. The rechargeable battery according to claim 1, wherein atleast a part of the electrode tab is placed between the first connectingplate and the electrode assembly body.
 9. The rechargeable batteryaccording to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the guiding plateprotrudes toward the electrode assembly body with respect to the firstconnecting plate to form a convex portion, the convex portion abuttingagainst the electrode assembly body.
 10. The rechargeable batteryaccording to claim 9, wherein the convex portion is laminated on theelectrode assembly body.
 11. The rechargeable battery according to claim1, wherein the guiding plate comprises a main plate body and a flangingportion, the flanging portion is located at a lateral edge of the mainplate body in the width direction and extends in a direction away fromthe electrode assembly body, and the first connecting plate is connectedto the guiding plate by the flanging portion.